Sunday, April 26, 2009

Royal Bengal Tiger found dead near Simlipal

BHUBANESWAR: Detection of carcass of a Royal Bengal Tiger in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary has left the wildlife officials puzzled.

While poisoning is suspected to be the cause, exertion could be another reason. The tiger carcass was spotted at Balianalla, about 8 km from Kuldiha, which is contiguous to Simlipal National Park.

While tigers have not been sighted in Kuldiha for a long time, the wildlife officials came across pug marks of two large cats in recent times. This one, an adult female, is believed to be one of them.

Two killings by tigers were reported from the nearby villages recently which could be the reason why the tiger is suspected to have been poisoned. ‘There was no external injury mark on its body. The viscera has been sent for forensic test,’ Simlipal Tiger Reserve Field Director Nagraj Reddy said. Kuldiha is seen as a sink area for tigers of Simlipal. Whenever population of the carnivores goes beyond what the habitat can sustain, they cross over to this contiguous region.

Given the dwindling tiger population in India, sources said, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has asked the Wildlife Wing to preserve the carcass in deep freezing condition. This has landed the officials in a spot because finding such a facility is a tedious task. Project Tiger head Rajesh Gopal is likely to take a look at it himself after he arrives in May first week. For a long time, no tiger death was reported from this part of the State.